Towards transformative practices in healthy food and sustainable agriculture for Europe#
Academia Europaea’s Task Force for Environment, Sustainability, and Climate (TFESC) recently convened a dynamic workshop with the objective of identifying transformative actions and best practices to promote sustainable agriculture and healthy food systems in Europe.
Held from 20th to 22nd September at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, and organised by the AE Cardiff Hub, the aim of the workshop was to determine Academia Europaea’s capacity to take an active role in addressing pressing climate and environmental challenges, by harnessing the wealth and diversity of expertise found within the AE membership, and by collaborating with the Young Academy of Europe (YAE).
Professor Verena Winiwarter MAE said,
Diverse participation#
The TFESC’s Core Group invited Members from all Sections of Academia Europaea, resulting in a diverse and interdisciplinary gathering of 17 distinguished MAEs. These participants represented a wide range of academic disciplines and backgrounds, and fostered a rich and multifaceted discussion throughout the 3-day workshop.
More about TFESC#
Academia Europaea has adopted a proactive stance on issues of climate and environmental change research, particularly in the area of science for policy. The diversity of expertise that exists across the AE membership, together with its wide geographic coverage, provides a unique resource. To fulfil AE’s ambition to be a leading voice in this area, a strategic approach is being developed that will be of critical importance in the next decade and beyond.
The focus of the Task Force for Environment, Sustainability, Climate (TFESC) is to develop a basis for AE to decide about its ability and interest in:
- Taking selective action, where the AE can, through its membership, access scientific knowledge in its broadest sense for urgent and complex issues
- Utilise this knowledge to provide expert analyses and added-value inputs (both research and policy-related) to inform external audiences, and
- Address topics that have a very clear societal dimension and that take account of and address the multidimensional risks and challenges for a future sustainable European society.
- Identify and deliver on those issues where the Academia Europaea can make a clear and impactful contribution
